Fallen Angel
by Optimus Magnus
Summary: The floor is set, the band ready. Now its time to see if Ash can dance
1. Default Chapter

**Fallen Angel**

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A young man of about 23 walked along a beaten track, at his side was a father fierce looking Pokemon whom the trainer had named 'Lee', it was a Tyrouge.  The two had been inseparable when since they met when the man was 19, before then, the trainer no memory of his life: he smiled at his small friend of 4 years as it began to rain

"Come on pal, into your ball, its warmer" he said: the Pokemon turned into energy and returned to the safety of his pokeball.

Sighing, the man continued on to a Pokemon Centre where he could rest.

Misty was board, Gary was off with one of the many tarts he picked up in towns like this, and Erika and Brock, two ex-gym leaders, now couple were having dinner at restaurant in town, and she was stuck in the Pokemon Centre with nothing to do.  So she let Golduck and Totodile out for a few minutes, the pair of water Pokemon always to glad to keep their mistress and loyal trainer company.  Misty felt a breeze and turned around; a man had come in, about her age with a long, hooded coat on

"Hi would you like you Pokemon healed" Joy said as the man handed over his Pokemon

"Yes please but Lee and Hound are okay so I'll keep them handy in case trouble walks in" he said and went to sit down, right beside Misty and her Pokemon

"Hi, I'm Misty and this is Golduck and Totodile" she said brightly

[Whoa, what a babe] Ash thought as he let Lee and Hound out.

The Dark-type Pokemon made a few people nervous; they didn't have a good reputation

"Don't worry, Hound is very friendly" Ash assured the other Pokemon

"He's as loyal as any Archanine and twice as tough with a Fire Blast attack that'll melt damn near anything" he said; rather proud of his Pokemon

"What about Tyrouge, I heard they're the pre evolved form of, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan and Hitmontop, is it true?" Misty asked

"Yes, his name is Lee, and is very special, my first Pokemon, he never wanted to evolve so I gave him an Everstone which he has in that belt" he pointed to a small black stone in the belt buckle

Lee shifted the belt up a little so Misty could see it, the little Pokemon seemed proud of this choice.

***********************

Misty and Ash hit it off and then Gary arrived

"And the pig says to the horse 'hey fella, why the long face', is it a great joke or what?" he asked as the blonde bimbo laughed

"Just go and screw her Gary, its all they ever want" Misty said

"Well at least I can pick up a member of the opposite sex" he shot back

"Oh I think Misty can pick them up, she just doesn't whore herself like you do pal" Ash said and sipped his tea causing Misty to laugh

Gary walked over to Ash and looked down on him

"A wise guy huh" he sneered

"Not wise, just observant" he countered

Gary would have advanced but he caught sight of the Houndoom at his feet and the Tyrouge drinking tea beside him

"I bet you wouldn't be so tough with out your Pokemon" he said

Lee burst out laughing and Hound smiled as Ash stood up slowly

"Here is some free advice pal, stay the hell out of my way, both in Pokemon and physical battles, 'cause I'll knock you down in both" he said and got his Pokemon off Nurse Joy 

"Cheers, I'm heading off to bed" he said

"Bye Misty, I hope I didn't offend you" he said

"What about, the whoring thing, please, that was so funny I think I broke a rib from laughing so hard" she said as Ash went upstairs

Ever curious; Misty went to see Nurse Joy

"Hey Joy, you know him, who is he?" she asked

"I've seen him around, why?" she asked

"He scared the living daylights out of Garry, no easy task" she said

Joy chuckled

"Well Ash is a very intimidating man, funny thing is, he can't remember anything that happened before he was 19; I found him lying unconscious and naked in the woods one day.  All he remembers is that he's a trainer" she said.

Misty was stunned

"Wow, that's incredible" she remarked and went up to her room, 

Joy smiled

[You don't know the half of it] she thought and went to tend the Pokemon.

*****************

Misty sat with her Discman on the bottom bunk in the room her friends had reserved for the evening listening to her favorite band 'Queen', her favorite song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was playing, as Erika and Brock appeared in each other's arms.  She could hear the faint moans and groans coming from Gary's room

"Shit, he's gonna have a million paternity suet's by the time he's 30" Erika said as Brock nuzzled her neck

"Bed time Brock" she said and swung up to the top bunk to sleep

"Man I enjoy being in love" he said before falling asleep.

Misty was feeling a bit depressed so she went outside to get some air.  As she walked along the path, she could hear someone singing, it was a local song called 'Distant Ballad', a very nice song in her opinion and she decided to follow the sound of the song to its owner.  She was surprised to see that it led her back to the Pokemon Centre where she saw Ash sitting on his window sill singing

[What a nice voice] she thought

She remembered that her key-card to the center doors was in her shorts which were inside and it was still really cold despite the long pants and jacket she had on, she started shivering.  Ash suddenly appeared in front of her

"Cold?" he asked

Misty rolled her eyes

"Yeah a bit" she said

"No key huh?" he continued.

Misty nodded and Ash smiled

[Well, just this once won't hurt] he reasoned and wrapped his arms around Misty

"Ah Ash, as much as I appreciate the gesture to keep warm, I-"

She stopped when the feeling of ground beneath her feet was gone and she realized she was floating in mid-air

"Eep" she squeaked and wrapped her arms around Ash's body

"I won't drop you, I promise" he said as they landed softly in his room, he let go of Misty but it took a few minutes for her to do the same

"You can let go of me anytime soon Misty" he prompted

Lee sniggered in the background

{Aww, how cute} he said

"Stow it you" he said as Misty, blushing, let go of him

"Sorry, but that was amazing, I mean, you flew, but, how?" she asked

"It's a kind of magic" he said and smiled

Misty walked out of his room and Ash lay down and looked over at his bag: a soft green glow emanated from it

Misty went back to her room, also smiling

[Ooh that was nice] she thought and got into bed and went to sleep, a dreamy and content smile on her face as Golduck and Totodile made quiet sniggering noises at the look on their trainer's face.

That morning, Misty and her friends were eating breakfast when Ash approached them 

"Hi guys, listen, I was wondering if I could travel in your group for a while?" he asked 

"Why, to scared to travel alone?" Gary asked

"Bite me.  I was on the lookout for some human company on my travels" he explained 

"Brock, Erika, what do you reckon?" Misty asked her other friends

"Okay, cool" Erika said

Ash sat down, being a large rounded table for 5 there was still a spot open, the one next to Misty and as a thank you gesture, paid for the breakfast meal, Brock and Erika liked him even more after that, Misty was so glad he had asked to join them, besides Erika, she had no one to talk to and Brock was usually chatting with Erika anyway, so Ash gave her a person to chat to.  Brock and Erika picked up their Pokemon from Nurse Joy and Gary did too, then the group set out on the walk to Space City, where Gary was hoping to earn a Galaxy Badge from the Gym leader: Star.

Misty and Brock had known Gary for many years, ever since he was 10 and had first started out on this journey around the world, although the four were tight friends, and lovers in Brock and Erika's case, Gary and Misty's relationship was becoming strained as Gary got more and more arrogant with every badge he earned "Misty, you okay?" Ash asked, Misty nodded

"Sorry, musta zoned out" she said and blushed at the boys attentive stare

"Oh look, Ash is hitting on the harpy" Gary said

Misty went red from fury

"If you don't shut up Gary, the next thing that hits you will be my Gyarados's Hyper Beam!" she screamed at him

Ash chuckled and fell into step beside Misty as the walked into the woods; Brock had Golbat out who was having a happy flap around in the dark forest.  The forest was becoming more and denser as they went on until it was so thick it was stopping them 

"Its late, we may as well camp here" Erika said

"I'll ask Scizor to cut us a path through all that tomorrow" Ash said as he got his sleeping bad ready, the subject of guard duty came up.  Ash produced a pokeball

"Go, Umbreon" he said as the Dark-type evolution of Eevee materialized, its body rings glowing menacingly in the dim area

"Umbreon, we need you to stand guard tonight, will you?" Ash asked, the Pokemon nodded and jumped up into a tree

"Well, with that solved, which's hungry?" Brock asked

"ME!" chorused the rest of the group.  
  


Brock made a curry with some salted chicken and carrots while Misty fed the Pokemon, all the while she could feel Umbreon's eyes on her

{You like Ash don't you?} , she asked  
  


Misty blushed a little

"A bit" she admitted

Umbreon smiled and walked over to Misty

{He needs someone like you, but first, you'd have to accept him, all of him} the Pokemon said before jumping back into the tree

[That was weird] Misty thought and returned to feeding the Pokemon.

At about midnight, Ash lay awake; thinkin

[Would a girl like that accept me for what I really am?] He paused and looked over to her 

[No way, she's probably got a million men chasing her, why would she waste any energy on me, oh well, even fools can dream] he thought and went to another area of the forest.

***************************

Vapoureon, one of Misty's Pokemon got up from snuggling her trainer and spoke to Umbreon

{He's wrong you know} she said

{'Bout what?} Umbreon asked lazily

{About thinking Misty would be wasting her time to like him, she thinks he's great, I heard them muttering in their sleep} Vapoureon sounded confident

{I know that, but, Ash has issues; it's his life: something happened to him that he would've preferred not to, although he's learnt to embrace it a little, he still can't come to grips with all of it} the Pokemon said with a sage like air about her

{What happened?} Vapoureon asked

Umbreon smiled  
  


{Wait and see} she answered as Vapoureon went back to bed.

The next morning was very uneventful for all after Scizor cut the path, Misty noticed Ash seemed a little down and sad

[How odd, he was pretty happy last night and yesterday] she thought as Ash let Lee out to stretch his legs  
  


The Pokemon looked at his master in sadness, Hound and Umbreon were also out and also seemed distressed about Ash; Misty wanted to know what was wrong so she used her famous 'Sledgehammer' approach

"Ash, you seemed depressed, something on your mind?" she asked

Ash forced an obviously well meaning (but also obviously fake) smile and shook his head while Lee and Ash's other Pokemon shook their collective heads and sighed

{Small steps Umbreon} Hound said

{If he don't pull out of this slump soon, he's gonna cap himself} Lee said with authority

Although Lee had not said that loud enough for anyone other than the others to hear, unfortunately for them, Misty's Azumaril had good hearing and heard the whole thing, even though he was in his pokeball and vowed to tell Misty about it when they had a spare moment.  Suddenly the ground gave out from beneath them everyone, aside from Umbreon and Hound, who jumped out of the way in time fell into the hole

"If this is Team Rocket again I will scream" Misty proclaimed as the Team Rocket members appeared

"We're dispensing with the motto for now, so hand over the Pokemon, or face the consequences" James threatened

"Umbreon, Hidden Power attack" Ash yelled to his Pokemon who leapt to the defense of everyone.

The Pokemon glowed, all the rings went white and circle of white energy balls surrounded her

{EAT THIS} Umbreon screamed and shot them at Team Rocket

Each ball hit a target, Jesse, James, Meowth, Arbok, Victribell, Wheezing and Fearow and knocked them out cold

"Espeon, help us out of this hole" Gary said and freed the Psychic Pokemon who lifted them up using telekinesis

Hound stood guard on Team Rocket as the group dusted themselves off and grumbled obscenities

"Hey twerps; who's the new twerp?" Jesse demanded, Hound growled angrily and bared his teeth

{He's my trainer, now shut up} he snarled.

Meowth however was prepared for this situation and pressed a small button on his remote control.  A blinding flash hit the area and the Pokemon couldn't see.  The, Victribell used a Sleep Powder attack and sent them all into the land of nod.  Meowth then pressed a second button.

Large cannon emerged from the balloon and fired at the group, knocking all the Pokemon out and causing a landslide.

"Misty, Ash.  Get out of there!" Erika yelled

But Misty was too slow having hurt her ankle and rocks tumbled towards her.  Ash, thinking with out reason leapt in and covered her with his body.  Once the dust settled, Gary, Brock and Erika looked at the mound of rocks and then at the recovered Team Rocket

"You, you killed them" Erika shrieked and reached for her most powerful Pokemon, a Meganium

She was halted however by a green glow coming from the rubble; then the ground began to shake and the rubble began falling away: then it happened

BOOM

The rubble shot outwards in several directions revealing what was underneath it: a tall figure in armour of red and silver with a long lethal looking spear: then they noticed that Ash was missing but Misty was underneath this mysterious character and aside from the few scratches on her, she was wide awake and very much alive

"You" the figure in armour hissed and pointed at them with a gauntleted hand

Team Rocket stood rooted on the spot: neither they, nor anyone else for that matter had ever come across something like this before.  Before the group could respond: the pauldrons on the shoulders of this large being opened and fired a large bolt of green energy, much like a hyper beam, only stronger

"TEKNO BOLTS" he screamed as the launched towards Team Rocket.

This caused the usual result, sending Team Rocket and their stooge Pokemon nearly into orbit.  Misty got up and dusted herself off and looked at her saviour: eyes wide and mouth agape, in all her travels she had never seen any kind of technology like this.

"Ash, is that you?" she asked

Ash nodded and the armour vanished by turning to light and going inside a crystal Ash held in his hand

"Misty I-" he stopped and collapsed

Misty caught him and called Brock over

"We've got to get to a Pokemon Centre" she said

"Okay" Brock grunted and hauled the younger man on to his shoulders and began jogging towards the Centre they'd just left.

A stunned Erika and a very scared Gary followed them a minute later


	2. Cerluean Showdown

**************************

Misty sat on a couch in the Pokemon Centre with Lee and Hound at her feet: Nurse Joy knew of Ash's predicament the instant she saw them with him: it had been her that found him and her that set him off with his Pokemon to discover who he was.  Seeing Nurse Joy take Ash into a back room, Misty followed

"I've told him, never to do that, it drains him too easily" she muttered and hooked him up to a simple heart monitor

"You know about this?" Misty asked

"Yes, I found Ash after what ever gave him these powers and no doubt his amnesia" she said and went to tend the Pokemon

Misty went back outside to find Umbreon: she needed to talk to her

"Lee; is Umbreon okay?" she asked

Lee nodded and pointed to the sleeping Pokemon: Umbreon was snoozing on a bench and any attempts to remove it we met with a snarl and the flashing of its rings

"Umbreon, is that what you meant when you said 'all of him', that thing Ash did?" she asked

Umbreon nodded and looked the young woman in the eye

{Not put off are we?}, she asked

"Hardly; how can I be: that was the coolest thing I've ever seen" Misty said

Umbreon raised an eyebrow at Misty in genuine surprise

"That's a first; someone actually liking his power" the Pokemon said dryly

Misty would have said more but Gary grabbed her wrist and yanked her up

"Come, we're out of here" he said and pulled her along

He didn't get far: Hound, Lee and Umbreon barred his way, Lee feel into a martial arts stance, Hound growled and Umbreon made her body rings glow brightly

{I think it would be in your best interests to let her go} Umbreon said

Gary eyed the three Pokemon at his feet: Machoke and Espeon would be able to take care of them easily.  So in his arrogance, he called them out for battle.  Espeon did make quick work of Lee, but Hound saw that a Faint Attack was administered to stop it.  But the well trained Machoke took care of him and Umbreon

"Feraligator, go" Misty called her most powerful Pokemon forth

Gary countered with a Magneton.  It was at this time that Ash stumbled obscurely out of the medical area, and seeing a brawl was about to take place, took action

"Tyranitar, stop them" he commanded

A flash of white light between Feraligator and Magneton signalled the arrival of the highly rare and powerful Tyranitar; so rare that few trainers had one.  The creature was as tall as the building it stood in and was literally built like a mountain: its skin was almost a foot thick of solid rock.  With ease it stood between the smaller Magneton and held back the Feraligator with little difficulty

"Stop fighting, it doesn't become you, Misty" Ash said

"You!" Gary yelled and ran at Ash, not realising his mistake in time

Tyranitar picked him up and held him in his jaws by the shirt: it was fiercely loyal to Ash

"Stay away from my friends, freak" Gary snapped, while wriggling in the mouth of Tyranitar

The word 'freak' his Ash like freight train and his eyes went watery: Misty half hopped that Tyranitar got very hungry in the next thirty seconds.

"Tyranitar, drop him" Ash commanded

{But-} the big Pokemon protested

"Just put him down.  He isn't worth it" Ash said and hobbled towards his fainted Pokemon to return them to their Pokeballs

Gary dusted himself off and shot Tyranitar a dirty look: one the Pokemon returned with equal if not greater vehemence and growled before Ash called it back to avoid more fights.  He then went to a computer and began exchanging some Pokemon.  Lee, Umbreon and Hound and the others were placed in the PC.  Ash then withdrew his best team of Pokemon:

Hariyama:  Level 52

Flygon:  Level 55

Sceptile:  Level 53

Pelipper:  Level 52

Groudon:  Level 53

Manectric:  Level 51

(A/N: this is actually my best team of Pokemon in Ruby Version)

He smiled as he received his best trained and highest level Pokemon: how he even caught one of the legendaries of Hoenn was still like 19 years of his life, a mystery but it respected him and battle hard for him.  As did the rest of these highly battle seasoned Pokemon

"Misty; can I talk to you please?" Ash asked

"Sure" she said and went over to him, glaring at Gary as she walked

Once they were in a private corner, Ash spoke

"I'm sorry if I scared you back there.  I don't where I got that power from.  I just woke up, age 19 in a forest with a Nurse Joy being held at bay by one of my Pokemon" he said

Misty couldn't help but smile at him: he was apologising for scaring her while saving her life; he was so odd

"That's okay.  I think it's kind of neat.  Maybe now Team Rocket will leave us alone forever" she said and brushed a lock of his hair from his face

Ash smiled sadly

"Oh well, at least something good came out of it" he said and laid his head on her shoulder

Gary chose that time to come storming over and was about to grab Ash; when Brock and Erika grabbed him, gagged him and hog tied him and took him upstairs to their room where they sat him down to have a 'friendly talk'

"What the hell did you think you were pulling back there?" Erika hissed

"I was keeping Misty, our friend, away from that dangerous thing" he answered

"Oh so Ash is a 'thing' now is he?" Brock asked

"He sure isn't human" Gary retorted

"Neither are Pokemon, but you get along with them okay" Erika gave Gary the illogical reasoning behind his hatred

"I can control a Pokemon, or defeat or run away from it.  But tell me, do you think we could escape him if we tried.  Can we control him if he goes crazy?  Can we defeat him in a battle?  I think not" Gary made his small speech

Brock and Erika were still unconvinced at his argument: although what happened had scared them, not as much as Team Rocket by any means, but is still scared them none the less

"Listen Gary, if Ash chooses to walk with us, we won't stop him or be rude to him.  In fact I would feel safer with him around" Erika said and left the room

Brock watched his girlfriend go and thought about her words: she'd feel safer with Ash around

[Any safer and we'd be able taken for celebrity kids] he joked to himself and turned his attention to Gary again

"Okay Gary here's the deal: if Ash asks to travel with us, he can and you have no say in it.  Keep cool, quiet and focused on what you're supposed to do and we all going to be like 5 little Fonzies" Brock outlined the situation

Downstairs Erika came upon a very cute and sugary sweet scene: Misty was asleep on the couch; Ash's lap providing a pillow: Nurse Joy had given the pair blankets.  Then she noticed a large Dragonfly looking Pokemon sitting above them on the couch with big red eyes and a long tail; it was roughly the size of a man but seemed to be lighter than it looked

"Wow, I've never seen one of them before" she said and got her Pokedex out to check it

{Flygon.  The Mystic Pokemon.  Nicknamed the 'elemental spirit of the desert' this Pokemon is coveted by trainers and collectors alike for its interesting combination of Ground/Dragon types} the Pokedex read out

"Man, you are one awesome trainer Ash, and this is a cool Pokemon" Erika said quietly and crept past them

*****************************

Ash and Misty woke up at the sound of Bon Jovi blaring out of a nearby Poke Gear: the owner apologised and went away

"Well, where to now?" Ash asked, smiling at Misty

"I dunno" she answered and smiled back at him

Brock and Erika came down and ordered breakfast

"Okay, how about we go back to Misty's place and relax for a while?" Gary said, an smirk barely suppressed

Misty visibly paled at the thought of going home: she'd left for a good reason and was not yet mentally strong enough to handle returning there.  But she stole a look at Ash and she felt strength possess her that she never knew before

"Okay, off we go" she said

Erika and Brock were a little confused as to Misty's reaction to the mention of her home town but didn't give it much thought.

So the group set of for Cerulean City, the home town of the Sensational Sisters and the Cascade Gym Badge.  Ash began to feel a slight tightening in his stomach as the group approached the city, and he noticed that Misty began to get a little apprehensive and she was sweating

[Something about this visit just isn't cricket] he thought and looked at Gary

"And I'll bet you have something to do with it, cheese dick" Ash mumbled

Upon entering the city; they saw that the whole town was in a state of celebration: out of curiosity, Brock went and asked one of the dancing locals what was going on

"One of the mayor's daughters, also a Sensational Sister, has gotten married" he answered

Just as they were about to head for the Pokemon Centre; Officer Jenny came up to them

"Misty, is that you?" she asked, incredulously

"Yeah" Misty answered sheepishly

The policewoman suddenly enveloped Misty in a big hug and was nearly sobbing

"Oh, I missed you I missed you I missed you" she cried out and nearly swung the girl around

"Thank you, Jenny" Misty gasped and hugged the policewoman back

Ash blinked at this odd display of affection from the well known law enforcer towards Misty

"So, am I going to be introduced to your new friend?" she asked, pointing at Ash

"Oh, Jenny, this is Ash.  One very amazing and unique individual" she said, making Ash blush

"Well I must say Misty, he is a fine specimen of man if ever I saw one: lucky girl" Jenny said, casting a lecherous gaze in Ash's direction

Ash just took this whole thing in his stride, although the uncharacteristic behaviour from Officer Jenny was starting to worry him a little.  Other than that; all was well; or so he thought

"Well, well.  The prodigal bitch returns" a malicious voice drawled, its words directed at Misty

Ash made an unconscious grab for a Pokeball: Manetric's because most people in Cerulean were Water Pokemon trainers

"Get lost Wave, you over preened geek" Misty hissed

"And if I don't?" he asked

Jenny stepped in before a fight erupted

"Then I'll see you taken in on harassment, Wave" Jenny said

"Well, maybe my lovely young girlfriend here will invoke the challenge" he said, putting his arm around a blonde with a bra size larger than her IQ

"That is cowardly and unfair, Wave" Brock shouted: he'd heard of this

"Well, I invoke the challenge or what ever" the blonde said

Jenny sighed and turned to Misty

"Sorry" she said

Jenny then turned to the crowd

"Is anyone here going to nominate themselves as Misty's champion?" she shouted

Ash stepped forward in an instant

"Me" he said, staring Wave in the eye

Wave laughed at the young man; but he was secretly a little worried: he'd never met a man that looked as intense and as dangerous as this one in front of him

"Well, then I accept" Wave said and the crowd gathered

Ash looked around

"Is this to be a Pokemon battle?" he asked

"Yes, with a twist: you must fight me; we fight side by side in this challenge with our Pokemon" Wave crowed, feeling sure he'd won

But Ash simply smiled and allowed Wave to call his best Pokemon: a Golem

[No doubt he anticipated that I would chose an electric type for a battle in a city renowned for its water Pokemon] he thought

Ash simply drew Sceptile's Pokeball and threw it in, grinning coolly

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade attack" Ash said.

Sceptile grinned at its opponent, baring sharp needle like teeth as it shot a leaf covered vine from each hand at the Golem; the leaves whipped around the rock Pokemon for a few seconds, cutting into it's hide and making it faint.  Sceptile returned to behind his master and Ash stepped forward

"Your turn" he said and launched himself at Wave

The pair connected with a bang and the fight was on.  Punches, kicks, elbows and knees were thrown and some were blocked and others connected.  The fight lasted for almost an hour before Ash, deciding that the fight had gone on long enough, grabbed Wave's arm and twisted it behind his back

"Now listen to me, very carefully: if you come within a thousand miles of that girl; I'm gonna get nasty, understand me?" he asked

"Yeah" Wave grunted

Ash let him go and sent him sprawling into the dirt, making the crowd gasp in surprise: no one had ever taken on Wave and beaten him, until now.  After a second of silence, the crowd erupted in cheers and shouts to the victor.

"Well, that was amazing" Jenny said

Wave got up and shot a nasty scowl at Ash, and Misty

"I'll get you both for this, mark my words brats.  I will have the wench" he cried out

Ash sorely wanted to transform and just whoop the little son of a bitch into next week but it was a little unwise given everyone else at the square would be affected by it.  And besides, he had to find out what the aftermath of the challenge was.

"So, what happens now?" asked Officer Jenny and Misty

They were giggling at Ash's confusion, it irked the young trainer a little but he just stared at them rather than speak; and waited for them to explain what was going to be happening

"You generally are now considered Misty's lover" Jenny said, making both him and Misty blush

[Well, a positive outcome] he thought with mirth and smiled, a little slyly at Misty

She returned the sly gaze with one of her own: Jenny saw this and giggled more at the exchange

"Oh well, it seems as if you beat the challenge to the punch" she crowed

With that the pair were taken to a tavern and drinks were on the house: all night

****************************

Wave was not a man of conscience but he was a man of means and high connections: one of such connections was Archie of Team Aqua: a rogue group of Water Pokemon trainers who took joy in hurting others: like Team Rocket only much smarter and less well known

"Archie, brother, it's Wave" he said

"Ah hello Wave: what can I do for you?" Archie asked

"She's back" Wave said and hung up

Archie listened to dead line tone contemplating this new information: he had been waiting many months for the return of Misty Waterflower and now she was here: a feral smirk grew like a cancer across his drawn face

"Excellent: this time, we are ready" he said and looked out of a window at his newest investment: the Vanguard.

A solid 200 tons of heavy metal machinery: a two leg combat suit for the army as a heavy assault and siege weapon with enough raw weaponry power to level a city block in a few volleys.  Archie picked up a phone and dialled an internal line

"Is the Vanguard ready?" he asked

"Aside from the extra sheet armour to go on; yes.  By 9 tomorrow morning this baby and its brothers are good to go" his engineer said

"Good.  We move out at noon tomorrow" he said and hung up

************************

Ash woke up on a bed: he could feel a soft warm lump beside him and he prayed to almighty god it wasn't who he thought it was.  Cringing he turned over and his fears were abated: although it was Misty beside him, a quick inspection revealed both of them were still fully clothed

[Much more relaxing] he thought and slipped an arm around the young woman

As he relaxed; Ash debated what to do if he ever had to transform to save her life in public: when push came to shove he'd be there in a heart beat no questions asked.  What concerned him were the repercussions in Cerulean City; this was Misty's home after all.

[I don't want to create disharmony in her home] he thought

The introspection lasted a few hours as both were as tired as all hell from an all night piss up and party with lots of dancing.  It was in fact nearly 11 when Misty and Ash finally emerged from the bedroom at the pub they stayed at and were greeted form a cadre of whistles and cheers from their friends, except Gary who had not joined in last evenings festivities and was at present nowhere to be found.

"Well, Misty you have bagged a good 'un" Jenny said, wincing from her monster hangover

Ash, smiling slyly, snaked an arm around Misty's waist with a look of pride  
  


[And after his little display on the road the other day, so he should], Brock felt confident in the idea that Misty was now more safe from harm than she was with her Pokemon

The group simply relaxed and laid about for the most part near the lakes swimming and laughing.  It was at around 11 that Misty looked at her watch and felt really hungry so she decided to go into the city for lunch

"Guys, I'll be back in an hour or so, k?" she called

Ash was reluctant to let her go alone but he remembered, Wave was a weak trainer and if he attacked Misty she'd cream him anyway.  So Misty jogged back to the city to get her lunch.

************************

Archie was waiting in the mountains just outside Cerulean with his Vanguard unit: 15 strong, with that much firepower under his control, he could just launch an assault from his current position and level the city in a few minutes but that was not his style nor did he need the tag of mass murderer on top of thief and extorter.  Of course murder on its own wasn't too good either.

"Archie to advance team: target has entered the city.  Get her" he said

"Yes sir" a crackled voice replied from the radio

Archie then sat back and waited: his teams should be able to get her with minimal fuss.  Unfortunately he was wrong and he got a call back saying that her Pokemon had fought them off with ease, so, Archie decided it was time to test the Vanguard units

"Men, move out" he ordered and lowered himself into the lead Vanguard

The large machines roared to life and sped towards their quarry: Misty Waterflower

Misty was staring at the motley looking group of trainers before here: she had just delivered a fine thrashing and was curious to know why the attacked her in the first place; a policeman was jogging over to see what all the fuss was about when 15 large machines smashed through the city walls and surrounded Misty and her Blastoise

"Miss Waterflower, a pleasure to meet you again" Archie spoke through the loud speaker

"Archie of Team Aqua, a disgrace to all water Pokemon and water trainers" she retorted

Blastoise saw that his mistress was in trouble and took a position of defence, as did Misty's other loyal Pokemon.  Archie smiled in the cockpit of his Vanguard

"Unless you wish to see that Blastoise riddled with bullets, I suggest that you recall him now" he oozed

Misty gasped: would Archie really shoot a Pokemon: against small bands and other Pokemon, hers would be an excellent defence, but she was up against military combat units with high powered weapons.  Pokemon were used in sport, not warfare.

"All of you; return now" she commanded them

The Pokemon were a little shocked at her command as it would leave her defenceless against her assailants

"Do it now" she snapped

They agreed under protest and returned to their Pokeballs

"What do you want Archie?" Misty demanded

"Well, last I checked there was a certain score between you and I, one that will be settled now" he said and trained his main guns on Misty

Misty gulped as she stared down the barrels of a chain cannon

"Although originally I was to simply take you and then there would be a large and over complicated plot to this, I have decided to kill you instead" he said

*********************

Meanwhile, Ash was coming back to the city; he'd heard the roar of the Vanguard and was curious to know what made the noise so he followed it back to the city.  What he saw chilled him: Misty was surrounded by 15 large mechanoids with heavy weapons: one of which was trained on Misty.  Sirens alerted his other friends who joined him shortly afterwards.

"He's going to kill her" Jenny shrieked

"Oh no he isn't" he said and ran towards them: they had since been surrounded by the police and some form of National Guard

Jenny tried to stop Ash in what was to her clearly a suicide mission, but Brock and Erika stopped her and smiled

"Just watch this" they said

Jenny stared as Ash retrieved a green crystal and cried out 2 words Misty had heard once before

"TEKKAMAN BLADE"

A bright green glow now permeated the area and caused all to stare at it as it moved at high speed up into the air.  Soon the glow faded, leaving the figure identified as Tekkaman Blade in the air.  But not for long, his left eye went green and he shot down like an arrow and went straight for Misty.

"Gotcha" he said and whizzed towards their friends with her

Ash then put Misty on the ground and turned towards his adversaries.  Before Archie could speak Ash drew his lance and held it in a guard position

"That small flight suit may be fast, but it has nothing like this in its arsenal I bet" Archie boasted and shot Ash with a large 22 inch shell from the main gun

Ash smirked inside his helmet and caught the projectile easily in his free hand and held it up for Archie to see; then he crushed it, causing an explosion.  Any glee Archie saw had from seeing that vanished when the smoke cleared and he saw this suit wearer still standing with not a scratch on him

"I'll make this short and sweet, dickhead.  Leave now or face my wrath" Ash stated

"Even if you can catch those rounds, can you beat all of us?" Archie crowed

"Fuck off or you'll find out" Ash replied

Archie and all his men then let fly with all their weapons.  Ash dodged them all and flew onto an abandoned building

"You missed" he called out

"Did I?" Archie intoned and shot the building's supports out

This caused it logically to collapse and when a beam caught Ash on the shoulder; he too went down and was buried amongst the rubble.

[No, please no] Misty silently begged Ash would do something like last time to survive the attack

"Now, where were we?" Archie said and returned his attention to Misty

But then a deep rumbling sound started the shake the very city at its foundations: it was coming from the rubble: then the top area flung on all different directions to reveal Ash, but he was different: his armour was sharper and there were more spikes and a pair of long spires went down his back

"You were warned" he snarled

He then flew around the Vanguards and using his lance, cut the legs off each one, causing them to land in a huge heap.  Ash held one arm forward, opening a blast canopy and he sorely wanted to charge it up and fire, but he wasn't going to

"I'll let the authorities take care of you" he rasped and powered his weapon down but did not transform back to normal

He then began to walk back to his friends while the people of Cerulean parted like the red sea before him.  Jenny and Misty ran up to support him since it was evident that his heightened state of power caused him great fatigue from the way he was leaning on his lance as if it were a stick

"You okay?" he asked Misty

She smiled up at him, and even with his helmet on she could tell Ash was smiling.  Unbeknownst to them, Archie was aiming his main chain cannon at them; if he was going down he would at least complete his objective in the process

*WHIIIIIR*

The cannon made a whir noise as it fired.  The gun, being at an odd angle made targeting difficult, so much so that fortunately only one bullet actually hit Misty in the abdomen, going straight through her, the other bullets went into the sky and some ricocheted off Ash's armour.  When Misty was hit, Ash spun around in white fury and aimed his main weapons at Archie's suit

"VOL TEKKA" he screamed

The green energy weapon fired its deadly elemental payload, hitting the Vanguard robots and obliterating them.  A medic was summoned to Misty's side for treatment

"She's losing blood fast; we need to get her to a hospital" he said

Brock went pale; Cerulean Hospital was under heavy refurbishment and as result, its facilities were questionable.  The closest City was Pewter; his home town and the fastest way there was flight

"Ash, if the medic secures Misty, will you fly her to Pewter?" he asked

"Need you ask?" Ash replied

Jenny ordered the medic to do as much as he could to keep her alive; they needed at least twenty minutes for flight.  At least they thought they did: in his Teknoman Plus form, Ash could travel at 10 times the speed of sound: he would reach the city in less than five minutes

"Okay, she's set to go" the medic said and let Ash pick her up

With a mighty burst of his back thrusters, Ash took off into the sky, a man possessed to save the woman in his arms.

**************************

Vol Tekka = this really means the Teknobolts thing from chapter 1, but I saw Japanese ep of Tekkaman Blade and the Japanese words sound way cooler than their English equivalent


	3. Meet My Mother

************************

As he flew away, back in Cerulean, Jenny was demanding an explanation as to what exactly happened.  Brock then told her the story of how they met Ash and the explanation that was given by Nurse Joy for what ever it was that Ash does

"That's incredible" was all Jenny could say, she turned her head to the smoking pile of metal that had been 15 highly powered combat suits, all destroyed by a single man with a gift, or a curse

"We should find Misty's mother and father" Erika said

Brock agreed and Jenny led them to Misty's parents' house

"I'm warning you guys, Misty and her parents don't get along to well, in fact they don't get on at all" Jenny remembered the countless nights the youngster had spent at her apartment when Misty and her parents or sisters had a fight

[Hmm, I sense a huge confrontation in the future] Brock mused as they were admitted via Jenny's badge and their own Gym Leader status

The butler lead them to a large sitting room where some people in very formal clothing, one a bride and groom; it was then that Erika and co realised that this was an after wedding party, the bride and groom identified by their unique kimonos.  The trio bowed respectfully and congratulated the couple before going to find Misty's parents.  They found them at a table with some of the older guests having tea and biscuits

[Is there anything tackier?] Jenny wondered when she saw Mrs. Waterflower's large diamond ring

"Excuse me, Mr and Mrs. Waterflower, I'm here to inform you of your daughter's hospitalisation from the attack that occurred in the city earlier today" Jenny said

Mr Waterflower looked at them

"But my _three_ daughters have been here all morning" he said, emphasising the word three

"I am referring to your youngest daughter, Misty" Jenny said it as gently as possible

Mrs. Waterflower shot the police officer an angered look

"That little half-child, is no concern of ours" she said through thin pursed lips

Brock and Erika were speechless, and relieved Ash was staying Pewter with Misty, or else he feared the already irate Tekkaman would have started shooting the place to pieces like he did those mech suits

"But she may die" Brock blurted out

There was no reaction from the parents or most of the people in the room aside from the younger of the three sensational sisters, Lily.  Her eyes widened slightly and she made a slight intake of breath

[As usual; less than a micron of kindness] she thought

Jenny locked eyes with Mr. Waterflower for a brief second; the warmth in his eyes was in minus degrees.  Scowling deeply, the officer spun on her heel and walked out.  Brock and Erika followed a few seconds later shaking their heads

"What the hell was that about?" Erika asked, slightly confused

Jenny sighed and rubbed her temples

"I best let Misty explain that" she said

Just then, Lily came running over to them; her kimono was gone and replaced with a pair of jeans and a shirt.

"Is Misty okay?" she asked, her voice laced with anxiety

"Come and see her and find out for yourself" Brock said

Jenny then called her Pidgeot out, and encouraged the others to do the same if they had flying Pokemon.  Brock summoned his Golbat and Erika a Fearow, Lily produced a Pelipper like Ash's.  Then the four took off for Pewter city.  As they flew, a thought flashed across Brock's mind

"Where the hell is Gary?" he wondered aloud

******************8

Gary lurked around Wave's house: his ears pealed for anything that would help him in his gaol to defeat Ash in a battle, but for the battle he had in mind he needed something like that Vanguard, and he was going to find one, even if he had to beat the information out of Wave and threaten him with death

[Come on you over sexed idiot, spill something I can use] Gary seethed as Wave walked around shouting down a phone

"What do you mean, he was to powerful; you had 15 Vanguard Units from the Special Forces, the best ones in production?" he bellowed

"We're sorry but he was far more powerful than us, especially after he transformed again" a voice on the other side of the phone said

Wave just slammed the phone down in a rage and threw it across the room with contempt

"Idiots.  Now I need to go and steal another Vanguard" he snarled and took a drink from his scotch bottle

"Bingo" Gary hit pay-dirt and turned off the small tape recorder he had with him

He then strode up to Wave's door and knocked on it, bold as brass.  A fuming Wave answered the door and Gary walked in

"Nice place" he said, eyeing everything as he sauntered around the room

"Can I help you?" Wave asked in a grated voice

"Yeah you can actually" Gary replied and sat down on the large leather chair near the fireplace

"And how would that be?" Wave requested as he reached for his pokeball

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Gary said as he took a glass of the 12 year malt scotch and sniffed it

[Mmmm, strong aroma] he thought and took a sip

Wave froze as he heard Gary speak

"I want one of those Vanguards that showed up today" Gary said and looked at Wave's uncomfortable expression

"And what makes you think that I can get them?" he feigned innocence and ignorance of the items in question

"Well I have a tape recording that says differently buddy.  So help me or it'll fall into the hands of Cerulean's finest" Gary said and played the recording for Wave

The man looked at Gary and gulped before taking a calming shot of the whisky from the bottle in his sweaty hands

"So, do we have a deal?" Gary asked, putting his insurance policy away for safe keeping

Wave held his hand out to Gary

"Deal, shake on it?" he asked

Gary ignored the gentlemanly gesture and just left the manor to allow Wave to arrange what he just promised he would

*************************

Jenny, Lily and Misty's friends landed outside the hospital and walked in: the duty nurse was looking really nervous

"Hi, we're here to see Misty Waterflower" Lily said

"Okay, f, follow me" she stuttered and lead them upstairs to the recovery ward

Misty's room was instantly recognisable because of the hulking shape sitting in it: Ash was still in his armour although it seemed to have digressed back to the first model that Brock and the others had seen.  He appeared to be talking to Misty.

"Hi Misty, how are you feeling?" Erika asked as they came in

"Well, I'm not sure after what Ash just told me" she said, looking worried

"What?" Brock asked, ready to pummel Ash if he'd been cruel

"I needed a blood transfusion and since I had no blood relatives in the city, they checked Ash's blood type, its an exact match of AB+ so they took his blood, although he did protest the idea" she said

"For what reason would you do that?" Jenny asked

"My blood is an integral part of my transformation process to Blade; by giving Misty my blood I have opened a Pandora's box with possibility that she would gain my powers and become a Tekkaman" he explained

Jenny and the others stood in a stunned silence at the news Ash just gave them; Misty would be a Tekkaman like Ash; that was scary.  Brock broke the tension with a joke

"Jeeze, I'd hate to be the bully who tried to beat your kids up for lunch money" he said

The joke was well received and Jenny noticed that Ash puffed up a little with pride and straightened his back a little to look manlier.

"Misty, we went to see your parents after Ash took you here, and their reaction, indeed the reactions of everyone except Lily who is here with us was, to say the least, shocking.  What did we miss?" Erika asked

Misty looked up and saw Jenny nod, Lily did the same and smiled at her younger sister

"Everyone, meet my real mother, Officer Jenny" Misty said meekly

**********************************

Please tell me in the reviews if you saw this revelation coming

**********************************


	4. My Name Is I Come From

A/N:  Thanks to Drakon for the name Sierra as Misty in Tekkaman form

************************

Just about everyone in the room aside from Ash seemed to lose their composure at that comment.  But with his helmet still on, no one could tell if he was frowning or not

"Officer Jenny, is your, mother?" Erika was shocked to say the least

Jenny decided rather than go into a long and boring story she gave them a succinct and short version

"In short, both Mr. Waterflower and I got totally smashed at a function and ended up in a broom closet" she said, the flat tone of her voice betraying the shame she actually had felt at the time

"Okay…" was all Brock could manage at this startling revelation

"Am I to assume that Gary suggested we go to Cerulean City so he could attempt to make Misty look bad?" Ash asked

Misty nodded; that sounded like the speed of it

"Then where did that needle dick, Wave, come into this?" Ash enquired

Misty took a deep breath

"Well, Wave wanted me to marry him; it was more a convenience thing than anything else.  It would gain him favour from my 'father' for taking in a bastard child" Misty said, tears touching her eyes

Jenny was about to burst into tears also: this was a secret she'd hidden from all of her relatives and for a short time even her Misty herself.  Jenny's eyes widened as she felt a hand grip hers for support: it was Misty.  Ash quickly deducted that the pair needed time alone

"Okay; Brock, Erika and Lily.  Lunch is on me, let's go" he said

The other occupants of the room soon realised what he was talking about and hastily filed out of the room, Ash last of all.  He stopped and stared right at Misty, then he removed his helmet and smiled at her

"You two sort out, what ya need to sort out.  We will be here if you need us" he said

"I know" Misty answered and smiled back at him

Ash put his helmet back on and followed his friends; he decided to store his lance away: he was causing enough trouble as it was with out walking around with that lance over his shoulder.  Ash trudged out and headed down in the elevator, his hulking figure causing some discomfort in the lift but he was oblivious to almost everything around him at the moment

[Be strong, you shall heal in time] he thought as the doors closed, cutting off his view of Misty

************************

Gary was in the private hanger on Wave's country estate: inside it he was training himself in the basic use of his newest acquisition: the Vanguard-X.  It was a marvel of modern technology: special weapons consisting of enhanced laser weapons, machine guns with explosive tipped bullets and the most advanced synchronised pilot to user movement system on the planet

"This is excellent, Wave.  Commendable work on acquiring it" Gary said as he aimed the guns and gave them a test fire

The lasers although never really going in a straight line were usually less than a centimetre off their original target.  The machine guns although noisier were more accurate because they were fixed after adjustments to the aim were made

"Yes, this will do nicely" Gary muttered to himself and climbed out of the cockpit and went over to the nervous looking Wave

"You like it?" Wave asked

"Yes, this is a more recent model isn't it?" Gary enquired

"Yes.  This is the new urban combat unit, that's why it has machine guns and lasers rather than cannons and missiles" he explained

Gary's grin became wider as Wave explained some of the finer points in the technology used in the suits construction and features: including the ability to fly for short periods of time.  Gary found that part useless because he knew Ash could use his suit to fly for long periods of time, so he would have to be very subtle in his attacks; use the lasers and aim for joints and bends in his armour.

"Well, I shall field test it tomorrow" Gary announced and summoned his Tailow

"Come on you, let's get back to Cerulean" he said

The flying Pokemon obeyed his master and took off towards the city.  Gary smirked in triumph; his plan was going to work: he was going to bump off that freak that Misty seemed so in love with and then she would have no choice but to go to him.  As for Wave who was also lusting after her, Gary would take care of him in due course.

[Its all coming together] he thought as the Tailow landed in Cerulean Square

He recalled his Pokemon and strutted into the Pokemon Centre feeling all very pleased with himself and demanded his Pokemon be healed.  Gary then wished to know where Misty was.  Nurse Joy took a small delight in telling Gary that Misty was in Pewter City Hospital.  He looked at her funny

"Why?" he asked

"Didn't you hear: she was shot by one of the stolen Vanguard units, and this amazing being saved her" Nurse Joy explained

"You want to run that by me again please?" he asked

"He was so furious when she was shot that he totally annihilated them, how he did I don't know, but I was told that if you looked into his eyes: you saw pure fury" Joy said the last part with the airiness a story teller had at the end of a moral story

"I don't believe this" Gary was dumbstruck

**********************************

Back at the hospital; Misty and Jenny were discussing their situation.  Misty was still feeling confused because Jenny had let her father keep her at his house; she'd spent so many nights at Jenny's home asking her if she could be her mother instead of Mrs. Waterflower.  And until now she had never thought to ask why.

"Every time you asked that question, I wanted to scream and tell you I was your mother.  But your father held more clout than I did, not a lawyer in the city would help me" Jenny explained

"But you're a police officer, why wouldn't they help you?" Misty asked

"How would it seem to a court; I got drunk at a party, had unprotected sex with someone, and it was with the mayor" she offered

"Still, why didn't you tell me when I was older?" Misty asked

"I was going to tell you when you turned 18, but your father had sent you on your Pokemon journey" Jenny explained

Misty couldn't believe it: in a drunken rant at her 21st birthday family party, Mr. Waterflower had told Misty that Jenny was her mother; the guilty look that had been on the officer's face when he said that had been all the proof she needed to confirm the information.  It had taken a years silence for them to work out their differences about the subject and now they were friends, but only now did she truly feel like Jenny was her mother.

"Oh this is so screwed up; now I wish I'd never gone on that journey" Misty lamented

"Don't say that; if you hadn't gone on that journey; you would never have met Ash, would you?" Jenny gently prodded

Misty was going to reply when she felt a weight in her left hand.  Scrunching her brow, Misty looked down to see what the object was: when she saw what it was, she nearly cried out.  In her hand was a crystal: the shape was that of a 5 sided, doubled ended pyramid in cobalt.  She held it in front of her and Jenny; both had a fascinated look on their faces.

"It's a, a…" Jenny couldn't finish

"…Teknocrystal, it's a Teknocrystal" Misty wasn't sure whether she should be excited or scared

"Ash was right, you did gain his powers" Jenny said with a smile

"Yeah, I did didn't, I" Misty replied and ran her thumb over the surface of crystal; smooth and flawless

**********************

Ash and the others were still down in the cafeteria eating their lunch (or picking at it) waiting for an all clear from Misty or Jenny so that they could go and see their friend again.  Lacking anything else to do, Erika leaned over and asked Ash a question.

"Ash, where do you come from?" she asked

"What?" he was a caught off guard

"Where were you born, who were your parents?" Erika elaborated on what she wanted to know

"I, I can't remember, I honestly can't remember a damned thing about who I am or where I come from" he answered

"Is there anything you have that could help ID you?" Brock put in

"Like what?" Ash replied

"Mobile phone, credit or bank card, Pokedex" he suggested

"No, I had no wallet or anything like that when Nurse Joy found me, only this tattered backpack with my name, Ash, stitched in it.  My Pokedex is damaged so I can't use it" Ash explained

"How badly is the Pokedex damaged?" Lily asked

"Pretty badly, I think it was crushed and the hard drive was damaged" Ash said and produced said item

[Hmm, short of a bullet in the discs, hard rives are pretty difficult to kill.  A data recovery expert could get something out of it] Lily looked over the object with her technologically skilled eye

"Ash, I think in the right hands, we can recover some data from the Pokedex hard drive" Lily said and gingerly picked up the device

"Really?" Ash stood up now, an excited look on his face

"Yeah, the police would be the best bet" she said

"I know a copper around here that owes yours truly a favour, I'll get him to check it out" Brock said and took the Pokedex from Lily

"Excellent, well I'll see about that now" Brock got up and left the hospital

There was a brief pause of excitement for Ash; finally he would get some answers about who he was.

"Well, this is-" Erika was cut off by a loud news bulletin blaring from the radios and televisions

"We interrupt normal viewing with this special report: another Vanguard armoured unit has appeared in Cerulean City; this time the operator has taken hostages and is demanded to fight the super being who appeared and defeated the last group of Vanguard earlier this morning" the news report said

"If that son of a bitch wants me, he's got me" Ash said and ran out of the hospital, transforming as he went

Seconds later, Jenny came running down the stairs to the main entrance: having heard the report she knew Ash was gone by now.  She approached them and told them all to come upstairs: Misty has something to show them.  With little else to do, the small group headed up to see their friend.  Upon arrival, Misty showed them the crystal and smiled

"Well, Ash was right, I did get his powers" she said with a chuckle

"Oh cool" Brock tried to touch the crystal

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Misty warned

"Okay" Brock knew Misty let him get away with murder, so if she told him not to do something, there was a good reason

"Well, what are you going to do?" Lily asked

"About what?" Misty asked back

"The situation in Cerulean" she explained

"Nothing, Ash doesn't need my help: you've seen how powerful he is" Misty said

"With great power comes great responsibility, Misty" Erika said

"Thank you 'Uncle Ben', but I'd be in his way cos I don't know what to do" she also pointed out that she was still injured

Misty was then hit by inspiration and checked her bullet wound: as she thought; it was gone, totally gone.  She decided to stand up and test her self to see if wasn't just a trick of the eyes.  Misty was able to bend down, bend back; and anything that normally a bullet wound in the abdomen would prohibit.

"Wow, this thing has some huge benefits" Misty smirked and turned to her friends

"I'll help him: Ash was alone in the world, he will be so no longer" she said

"TEK SETTA" the words came to Misty as if natural

Misty was shrouded in blue light as her first transformation began.  The overall colour was olive green.  Each arm had a small blade on the forearm with black elbows and gauntlets.  The black shoulder pauldrons were smaller than Ash's: they were like a square bent diagonally across the shoulder area.  The legs were smooth with black on the ankle and kneecaps.  The helmet triangular in shape with a pair of blue eyes in the 'V' shaped visor.  Two fin like protrusions swept back on the helmet.  As her weapon, befitting a lover of the ocean was a long Trident, as the legends say Poseidon and his armies fought with.

"Sierra, Tekkaman Sierra" Misty said and gave a twirl of her trident; then she leapt out of the open window and towards Cerulean

"Wow, that is definitely cool" Brock said

"Come on, while she's doing that we can find that cop who owes you a favour" Erica said and pushed Brock downstairs

"Okay, think they'll be alright?" Jenny asked

"Oh definitely" Brock answered

*************************

Ash stood in the street; this newer Vanguard unit was better than the last ones.  This one was armed with close range weapons like beam lasers and some other stuff.  Getting close was easy: but getting him without hurting the children he carried in his cargo hold was the tricky part.

"Dishonourable coward!  Return the children to safety and fight me like a man!" Ash bellowed

"Like hell I will freak job" Gary said and fired a laser volley at him

[I can defeat him no worries but with those kids on him they may get hurt; I can't risk that] Ash thought

"You see Ash, I want Misty, so you can't have her so I have to kill you" Gary had clearly flipped his lid

Gary was so busy ranting that he didn't notice a green streak go past his aft section.  Ash saw and knew instantly it was Misty but he wisely kept his mouth shut and let her get on with what she was doing.  Misty was hovering above Gary as he ranted.  Gary saw something out of the corner of one eye but his reflexes were no match for the newly empowered Misty.  With a mighty cry and swing of her weapon, Misty severed the cockpit of the Vanguard from its main body.

"I always knew you did things below board Gary, but this is low even for you" Misty hissed and walked around him so Gary could see what she was now

"He, he turned you into a freak!" Gary wailed, obviously broken

"No Gary, I've become higher than human, than Pokemon.  Ash and I are like Angels, fallen from heaven among humans" she said, as if reading from some pre-done script

"Should we destroy him?" Ash asked

"No, let the police handle him; they should be here in a few minutes" Misty looked at Gary: he was a pitiful wreck now

The whirring of sirens heralded the arrival of law enforcement officials and an Army jeep with a man who appeared to be a general stepped out.  While the police rounded up Gary and the children he'd kidnapped as his hostages, the military man approached Misty and Ash with a fascinated look on his face.  He gave them a long and appraising look.

"Hey buddy, take a picture, it'll last longer" Ash said, squeezing the handle of his spear

"I'm here to thank you for getting that idiot out of our combat unit.  All we need to find out now is how he got it" the general said

"I have a fair idea: speak to a man named Wave Hillman, he lives in that big mansion over there" Misty grinned beneath her helmet and pointed to Wave's house

"Thank you" the General then ordered several MP's up the mansion to apprehend Wave

Misty turned to Ash and her left eye lit up: this was a sort of smile and Ash returned the gesture.  He finally got a chance to see Misty properly in her armour; it suited her well and although less dense than his, afforded her excellent protection and speed as well.  He chuckled at the sight of her weapon; that he should have expected: a water lover given the weapon of the legendary warriors of the deep.  With a nod to the sky they both took off back to Pewter City.

************************

Upon their return to Pewter, Misty and Ash reverted out of their armour in a clearing and walked towards the hospital; Jenny was still waiting outside for them to return.  Jenny waved to them and got out her phone and called Brock and Erica back.

"I saw on the news; a very swift and well done job Misty" Jenny said

"Yeah, it was.  Now where's Brock and his little love dove?" Misty asked

"At the police station calling in a favour: their getting a pal of Brock's to do a data recovery on Ash's Pokedex hard drive" Jenny explained

"Oh, how did it go?" Ash asked apprehensively

"They have all the information he could get off the drive and should arrive here soon" Jenny replied

Brock and Erica showed up with a few pages of documentation in Brock's hand.  He smiled and handed the documents over to Ash.  He took them and sat down on the ledge of the fountain and began to read:

------Begin document------

Name:  Ash Satoshi Ketchem

Sex:  Male

Date of birth:  12 – 5 – 1981

Blood Type:  AB+

Address:  8 Park St, Pallet Town

Registered with PLA:  13 – 6 – 1991

Starting Pokemon:  Treeko

Issuer of Pokemon and Pokedex:  Professor Samuel Oak

Known family:  Blake Ketchem (father, deceased), Delia Ketchum (mother, currently living at listed address)

Other information:  Honour student in English and languages at Pallet High School, black belt 3rd Dan Okinawa-ryu Karate and holder of honour awards.

-----End Document----

The rest of the information was just pictures and Pokemon statistics from the Pokedex but he had the core information that he wanted in his hand, the rest was just hit and miss luck.  With a grin he got up and looked at his friends.

"I'm from Pallet town, my full name is Ash Satoshi Ketchem and my mother's name is Delia, my dead father's name is Blake" Ash said

"Wait, Pallet town did you say?" Jenny asked

"Yeah; why?" Ash was curious about that question

"Ash, Pallet town is in an area called 'No Man's Land', there was a massive quake in that area, and not many people go there as it is populated and run by gangs, given the age of that info I'd say your mother is also dead" Jenny said


	5. Throwing Down the Gauntlet

*********************

The boat made slow by assuring progress towards the now besieged island of Pallet, all the while Ash stood on the bow and sat in contemplation of the possibilities ahead of him.  Misty watched him intently but chose not to disturb him since he was obviously wanted to be alone: she smiled as Flygon hissed at the leering boat captain, making him return to his task.

[This is going to hurt Ash, either way he will feel some pain, but he isn't alone, not this time] she thought

"We're here," the captain said

Misty looked up at a looming cliff face full of jagged and dangerous rocks on the side.  The very appearance of the island was frightening and from what Jenny, no, her mother; had said the inside was as rough and tough looking as it's outside.  Misty examined her 'tough' clothes: a black shirt with a red vest and jeans.  A Phoenix was spreadeagled on the back of the vest.  Her new boots were heavy but solid.  The shirt was kind of tight around the chest but not enough to cause embarrassment.  Ash's clothes were similar but he was in all black aside from his vest, which was dark purple, he had a large dragon on his back.  Both were wearing fingerless bike gloves, Misty's were blue and Ash's were red.

"Where do we dock or make landfall?" Ash asked

"For a drop such as this, you'll want that little cave over there: you'll need a water Pokemon to surf to the beach a few miles around, I can't go there cos I'll be seen" the man explained at length

"Fine, just drop us off and be on your way" Ash ordered and jumped off the side onto the rock ledge

"Take care, if you're lucky, you can run legit trips Pallet in a few weeks" Misty said and joined Ash on the shore

The sailor gunned his boat to top speed and went as fast as he could back the way he came.  Misty chuckled as she and Ash called out their water Pokemon: Pelipper and Gyarados.  The surfing trip was surprisingly lite-hearted and jovial until the saw the beach.  The whole area seemed deserted but still with care they dismounted and walked lightly up the fast darkening beach.

"We should set up camp somewhere, we'll make for that small city in the morning.  Agreed?" Ash proposed

"Yeah, sounds good to me" Misty replied and sat down in the clearing they'd stumbled upon

Ash went to find some firewood while Misty checked out all their supplies: about a weeks worth of bread, salted pork and cheese, some eggs and bacon and about 5 litres of water.  Not much by a long shot but enough to sustain them until they found their way to the city the next day.  After getting out a small pan to heat up the salted pork so the sandwich was warmer than the fast turning weather, Ash returned with wood and started the fire.  The forest was old and the trees high, the canopy was totally closed and only thin beams of fading sunlight were able to make it through the thick foliage.

"This place seems familiar, quite strange really" Ash muttered to himself

"Come on, your food will be getting cold" Misty jolted him back to reality

"Sorry, looks good" he said and bit into the sandwich: the cheese and pork tasted good together

"Got the sleeping bags?" Misty asked

"Yeah, well, mine at least" he answered

"What about mine?" Misty asked

"I thought you grabbed it" Ash said

The truth then dawned on them: there was only one sleeping bag and it would have to be shared.  Not that this was a horrible thought in its own right but given the reason for their visit to the island, it seemed like such a bad set-up that friends would spring upon them if the situation were appropriate.  This time however it seemed like a genuine oversight on both their parts.  Ash looked at Misty, slightly red.

"Ummm" he offered

"Looks like we're sharing" Misty finished and got into the sleeping bag, to tired to care

Ash also was tired, so with a throwaway gesture he also became suitably attired and got in beside Misty, a large pillow between them.  Before Ash nodded off however, he reached for a certain Pokeball and released its occupant: the powerful Dragon named Salamance.  The giant beast was fearsome but it remained quiet.

"Keep watch Drake, there are unsavoury types about this place.  If you hear anything, wake me immediately" he instructed

The large Pokemon nodded and took up a protective posture over his master and mistress.  Ash, satisfied that they were safe with Salamance on guard duty, fell into a pleasant slumber, with his angel by his side, he felt sure of anything going right for him.  The warmth generated by both he and Misty kept them both warm and comfortable.  By the time Ash had fallen into his deeper sleep, they were cuddled up to one another.

*********************

Salamance was still awake when he heard the rustling in the bushes a few feet from the campsite.  Lying flush with the ground and making no noise, he watched to ascertain if this noise was a threat or not.  Then with an almost comic like motion, a head popped out of the bush; a dirty looking girl about 10 years old, then beside her came a Meouth.  Salamance quickly worked out that these two were foraging for food, and Ash and Misty had some in their pack.  Using his tail he gently nudged Ash awake.  Ash sat up and looked at the two.

"Ahem, that belongs to me" Ash said with edge

"Eeeep" the girl squeaked at being caught

The Meouth launched itself at Ash, but Salamance quickly came from hiding and with a simple look, stopped the small and malnourished cat from moving.  The girl had frozen like a rabbit in a pair of high beam headlights.  However all this commotion had also woken Misty up.  The scene before her was almost comical: Salamance was staring down a starving Meouth and Ash was giving a black look to the little girl.  With a sigh she broke the whole thing up.

"Ash, behave yourself please.  As I'm sure you can see, the girl is hungry and we have plenty to eat, we can share" Misty said straightforwardly

"I suppose so.  Salamance, its okay, you can stop glaring at the cat, now return" Ash placed the dragon back in his Pokeball

"Hello, my name is Misty, what's yours?" Misty smiled and went over to the little girl

"Natalie, that's Tiger, my Meouth" she replied, pointing to the now relaxed cat Pokemon

"Okay Natalie, my friend is going to cook breakfast for us while we chat" Misty said and gently guided the girl closer to the fire

"Okay, thank you" Natalie replied timidly as she sat down

While Ash cooked, Misty questioned Natalie about herself: any family around, where she lived and the usual sorts of questions that would be asked.  Ash on the other hand was keeping a wary eye on both the surroundings and the bacon in the pan.  Although he expected living conditions to be below par on this place he wasn't sure if he was prepared to see what he believed lay ahead of him.  Shaking these ideas from mind, he served the food.

"Is there a town near here Natalie, where we can get more food?" Ash asked

"Yeah, my town has lots of food, but the gangs control it so we can't get to any of it.  That's why I'm out here", she said sadly

"What's the name of the place you're from Natalie?" Ash asked out of curiosity

"Pallet" she answered

Ash froze as he heard the word Pallet and fixed Natalie with an almost mind breaking stare that made the girl wince slightly.  With his voice level but his eyes ablaze, Ash asked her to repeat the name of the place she had just said

"Pallet town, its about a mile that way" she replied and pointed north

"Take me there please" Ash said and stood up

"But we have no money to pay the toll-man to get back in" Natalie said

Ash smiled that small smile that Misty knew he used whenever he was going to get one up on a person.  Ash cracked his knuckles and withdrew his Pelipper and asked Natalie to get on, then he withdrew Salamance; he then mounted the dragon and got Misty on behind him.

"Give Pelipper directions and we will follow" he explained

[I hope he knows what he's doing] Natalie thought as she asked Pelipper to fly north

*****************

A man on a Pidgeot was scouting an area above the wrecked shell of a town; that was Pallet.  He was a lieutenant in the occupying forces and it was his duty to see that no one got in or out of Pallet without paying the toll, although the odd one got out, they never got back in when he was on guard.  He was about to knock off duty when he saw a large white bird Pokemon coming towards him.  The man told the Pidgeot to hover and await the arrival of the Pokemon and its passenger.

"Halt" he said brusquely

"I'd like to get back into Pallet please" Natalie said, feeling nervous

"Pay the toll kid.  It's the rules" he replied

"I don't have any money" Natalie said

"Grrrr, don't mess me about brat!" the man yelled

Natalie cringed but Pelipper growled back with irritation: Pelipper didn't like those who threatened those smaller and weaker than themselves.  Ash and Misty took this as their cue and appeared riding Salamance, whose appearance had made sure they knew who was in charge.

"Now listen to me very carefully.  We are going to enter Pallet, trying to stop us will incur our wrath" Ash stated simply and sent Pelipper and Natalie on their way back home.

The man on the Pidgeot tried to attack but Salamance was to quick and unleased a Flamethrower attack, a warning shot across the bow as it were.

"I'll tell the boss, you'll pay" he threatened

"My wrath is greater than yours, my power older than imagination.  Reprisal is at your own risk" Ash sounded a little melodramatic but he got the desired effect.

The Pidgeot and its rider were scared beyond all comprehension.  They took off in the direction of a tall tower with great haste.  Ash's own eyes turned to the tower and for a brief second it seemed as if there was a connection between them, an exchange none but they could comprehend.  Misty gently prodded him to bring him back to reality.

"Come Shakespeare, lets go" she sniggered

"Well it sounded cool, and it worked" Ash was half joking: his wrath was terrible but his power when combined with another ancient, dangerous power would be unimaginable

They landed in a square where Natalie was being questioned by a large group of people, most of them looked malnourished and hungry.  Once Ash and Misty landed, they too were looked at and questioned.  Before long however, a burly pair of men, undoubtedly the associates of the man they chased off from the sky came charging through the crowd till they met Ash and Misty

"Care to explain yourself buddy?" one of the spat

"Not to a moron like you, no" Ash answered and brushed past him

"Hey, I'm talking to-" the man was cut off when Ash spun around and using a clenched finger strike to the throat, knocked him down

Misty grabbed the other one with and arm-bar and forced him to his knees before he could act against Ash.  Ash raised an eyebrow at her very adeptly executed arm-bar: Misty smiled sweetly

"Waterflower by name only" she said

"Very droll" Ash answered and picked up the man he'd struck in the throat

"Okay shit head, first question: how many of you morons are there in this little town?" he asked

"Fuck you" he answered

"Wrong answer" Ash made a face and punched him in the gut

"Okay, okay, 3.  Me, my friend over there and the air patrolman" he spluttered

"Good, second question: where is the food stored?" Ash demanded

"You've got to be kidding" the man cried

Ash growled impatiently and went the next step up and gave a heavy punch to the ribs; a sickening crack indicated that the ribs that were struck had been broken by the strike.  The man coughed and spat up some blood, clutching his injury.

"I'm losing my patience with you shit for brains, where is the food?" Ash barked

Misty was taken aback by Ash's behaviour; she attributed it to seeing the way these people were treated by these people.  Still, it was frightening to see someone she knew to be gentle most of the time to act out so violently.  Her attention was drawn back to Ash fully when he dropped the large gang man to the ground and walked over to a large locked barn.  Releasing his Hariyama, Ash ordered the lock broken.  Using its powerful arms, Hariyama smashed opened the barn.

"Go, feed yourselves.  You, however I want to speak to" Ash said, pointing to an old man

"I thought you might" the man smiled

"May we go somewhere private?" Ash asked

"Of course, follow me" the old, white haired man walked towards a large patch of grass with a row of stones; a graveyard

"What can I do for you?" he asked Ash

"My name, is Ash Ketchum, my mother Delia Ketchum lived here, I wanted to see her" Ash explained

"Ash?" the man spun at the names and looked the young man deep in the eyes

"You know me?" Ash asked shakily

"Yes.  I'm Professor Oak, I gave you your first Pokemon, Treeko" Prof. Oak said

"I'm sorry, I don't remember" Ash said with downcast eyes

"What?" Oak asked

"I have amnesia, I don't know what happened or when, but I assure you of my name at least" Ash paused and produced his ruined Pokedex

Prof. Oak took the Pokedex and looked it over for the small identifier panal, it carried a small finger print scanner that could be used to check the holder of the Pokedex was the legitimate owner.  He found the small device and asked for Ash's left hand.  Ash gently proffered his hand as requested and Oak pressed the left index finger to the scan port.  The scan also examined the DNA of the finger and although the Pokedex was damaged this part still worked: the test was positive.

"I can't believe it, you've returned at last" Oak was overjoyed for a brief moment

The as soon as he was happy, Oak was again sad: bad news awaited Ash upon his return home.  So sad was the news that his shoulders visibly sagged when he remembered the terrible day; a memory he was about to recount and tell to the one person that it shouldn't ever be told to.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked

"Follow me" Prof. Oak said, walking towards the graveyard

"No…" Ash followed but he was sure he knew what was happening

Misty looked up and saw Ash moving robotically towards a marker stone.  Her heart filling with concern she followed him over, also knowing what terrible news awaited him.  Ash stopped at a more ornate marker with a name chiselled into it 'Delia Ketchum'.  Ash fell to his knees and almost timidly reached out to touch the stone.  Misty saw tears welling in his eyes.  She reached down and squeezed his shoulder in support.

"I'm sorry Ash, I had a feeling about this, but I hoped that I was wrong" Misty spoke softly

"How?" Ash choked

"A year or so after the breakaway, the gangs began looting.  Their first act was to confiscate and maim every strong Pokemon and kill or subdue their trainers.  When they came here, Delia fought them with both Pokemon and her fists, until they had her" Oak watched as Ash's eyes emptied of tears, and filled with fire

"Once the Pokemon were gone, it was easy for them to keep us in line with the military equipment and threats of reprisal" the old professor continued

"My mother, you said they had her, so she wasn't dead" Ash grabbed Prof. Oak frantically

"Not when they took her, but when they dumped her body back in the square; I wasn't sure what had happened to her, but she was dead, and if my eyes didn't deceive me that day, she was dead then" Prof. Oak finished

Ash clenched his fist and stood to his full height; eyes ablaze with rage beyond measure and control.  The sky turned dark and thunder rolled and lightening cracked above.  Cries heralded the arrival of the gang to see why one of their members had been threatened; and now why two others had been assaulted.  Ash was still in a state of paralysing rage when the biggest of the five men fronted him in a surely manner.  Ash looked up and in a momentary surge of rage, punched the man so hard that he lifted about a foot off the ground.

"Get him" the others yelled, calling in their Pokemon

"Sceptile, Flygon, Salamance.  Take care of these insects" Ash called his one Pokemon to battle

The Pokemon owned by the gang members had grown fat and weak in years of non-combat, and as a result were no match for Ash's battle toughened Pokemon and they were quickly suppressed and defeated.  In their terror they attacked Ash himself.  As if by magic, the supposed Karate skills Ash's profile said he had; now come back to him and he used them to deadly effect.  The last man standing called for a gun.

"If you wish to stay alive I wouldn't recommend that" Ash warned

"I'm gonna kill you punk!" the man screamed

"Fine.  TEKKAMAN BLADE" Ash now showed one of his aces

The whole town aside from Misty stared in wonder at the transformation.  Now in his powerful Teknoman form, Ash disarmed the man quickly and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and held his lance's tip to his throat.  Although his face could not be seen through the helmet, it was clear that there was a cruel if not malicious smile on Ash's face.

"See how it feels, to be in fear of someone more powerful than you.  Feel that terror racing through your veins" Ash hissed

"Y, yes" the man answered

"Go back to your leader, tell him that he and all his men have 24 hours to vacate the island and turn themselves into the mainland law enforcement authorities, then I will hunt them down, one by one" Ash dropped his frightened hostage

"TANK!" someone yelled

"Obviously I haven't made myself clear" Ash muttered and turned to the tank

"VOL TEKKA" with that yell, the most powerful weapon Ash had was unleashed, obliterating the tank

There was a great cheer of gratitude and joy at the sight of their oppressors fleeing from an avenging Angel.  Ash stood still for a brief minute before taking off into the sky and again his gaze was drawn to the large dark tower in the centre of the island.  Misty floated up beside him, also in her Teknosuit.  She turned her own eyes to the tower and felt a surge in her body, as if something evil had just breathed down her neck.

"You sensed it too" it was more of a statement than a question

"Yes, I did" Misty answered

"Do you think I just picked a fight that I can't handle" he asked

"A fight you can't handle, maybe, a fight _we_ can't handle, I doubt it" she answered with a wry smile

Ash gently rolled a black and white Pokeball in his hand; the Pokemon inside it would either save this island, or destroy it.  Either way, his power was now great and with the help from his ally in the Pokeball, it would be enough.  Again lightning cracked overhead.

Inside the tower that Ash and Misty were staring at, a dark presence sat brooding and board until it felt something it had not felt in a long time: challenge and the will to fight.  Standing from its throne, the being took heavy metallic footsteps.  In its hand was a lance with blood red highlights.  A door behind him opened and a fat man in a suit came in

"Sir, we've had some trouble in old Pallet town, some kind of man in a metal suit" he said

"I know" this voice was not like those below him, not cowardly or greedy but cold and ruthless, like a soldier

"What do you want me to do boss?" the fat man asked

"Leave it to me, this is what I've been waiting for" the boss began to laugh maniacally, one red eye lighting up in the darkness.


End file.
